MOSCOW: An official from the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Kherson region was wounded in a car explosion, Russian news agencies reported Monday, citing Moscow-installed authorities.

Medics from the Russian-backed authorities said the deputy head of the region, Vitaliy Bulyuk, survived the apparent attack.

"He is wounded, his condition is stable, of moderate severity," the Interfax news agency quoted Moscow-backed health official Vadim Ilmiyev as saying.

"The driver of the car was killed on the spot. According to my information, a mine went off, the car burned down," he added.

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The head of the Russian-occupied part of the neighbouring Zaporizhzhia region, Vladimir Rogov, said Bulyuk's car was blown up in the city of Skadovsk, on the Black Sea near Crimea and south of Kherson.

In a Telegram post, he said Bulyuk was taken to a hospital in Simferopol, one of the main cities in Crimea, and was in a "stable but serious condition."

Rogov called it an "assassination attempt" and said "details are being clarified."

Russian forces withdrew from the main city of Kherson in November, but continue to control most of the southern region.